Barbara Turner/Bob Cross Letter to the EditorNewspress.com
August 11, 2000
http://news.newspress.com
Letters to the Editor
Debate over developmental centers goes on
This is in regard to Bruce MacKenzie's recent guest commentary responding to
our comments about state developmental centers.
In his attempt to counter established facts, MacKenzie frequently has relied
solely on his opinion.
First, he implies that the published research done by UC Riverside
researchers Dr. David Strauss and his colleague, Dr. Theodore Kastner was
biased because the California Association of State Hospital Parent Councils
for the Retarded (CASHPCR) funded the work.
No wonder MacKenzie's displeasure. The research referenced in our article
shows a more than 70 percent increase in the death rate among a large group
of clients recently discharged to the community from the state developmental
centers. His nail in the coffin on this topic is that it was later
discredited. He is wrong in both cases.
That research was funded entirely by the National Institute of Mental Health
(NIMH), a government agency whose standards for funding research eliminate
all but the most highly qualified scientists. CASHPCR didn't even learn
about the project until it had been submitted for publication and did not
contribute to it in any way. Later, along with a consortium of other groups
interested in the research, CASHPCR did contribute to fund further work in
the area.
Second, far from being later discredited, the research was thoroughly
analyzed and validated by California's own Department of Developmental
Services. In July 1995 senior department research analyst Dr. Beverly Lozano
was asked by her department head to evaluate and comment on the
Strauss-Kastner work. Lozano responded in writing that, "based on my
professional judgment as a published researcher I found the authors' methods
technically sound and their findings plausible."
That didn't set well with her superiors, and in a May 1997 letter to the
Joint Legislative Audit Committee, Lozano complained that because "this was
not what DDS managers wanted to hear .Ê.Ê."
she was subjected to retaliation. She was being denied further work and had
been relegated to bureaucratic Siberia. Consequent intervention on her
behalf by her union and members of the legislature put matters right and she
was able to continue with her heretofore highly praised analytical research.
Lastly, MacKenzie finds fault in the cost of care studies because they're
"10 and 25 years old."
Well, not quite, but MacKenzie may be assured that later ongoing studies
show no contrary findings: preliminary nationwide information reaching us
indicates the comparative cost of community care is even rising.
Barbara Turner and Bob Cross
Santa Barbara